


Immersion

by CelestialVoid



Category: Uncharted (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Parents, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Established Relationship, Established Relationship Nathan Drake/Elena Fisher, F/M, How Do I Tag, Near Death, Near Death Experiences, One Shot, Parent-Child Relationship, Parenthood, Post Uncharted 4, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-21
Updated: 2017-10-21
Packaged: 2019-01-20 14:41:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12434937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CelestialVoid/pseuds/CelestialVoid
Summary: Nate is woken in the early hours of the morning and called out to a dive but what he finds beneath the churning water of the bay.





	Immersion

**Author's Note:**

> Part of the fanfiction chat roulette:  
> Prompt: I found a kid and the police can’t find foster care for them, so we’re parents for the next few hours/days - Anonymous  
> Dialogue: “How long have you been standing there?” - Anonymous  
> Plot Twist: HE WAS SERIOUS - Anonymous
> 
> Thank you for the 1000 Tumblr followers!
> 
> I did want to write a longer story of this, but it's taken me so long to get to this. Maybe sometime in the future I'll get to write more of it.

The darkness of night had settled across the bay, the streets lit by the dull glow of streetlamps and cloaked in undisturbed quiet. The only sound that could be heart was the quiet lapping of water against the pillars that held up the wooden piers.

The phone that sat on the bedside table let out a loud groan as it buzzed across the wood, the screen lighting up with a familiar number and the notification of an incoming call.

Nate let out a heavy sigh as he untangled his limbs from Elena’s and rolled over. He pried his eyes open, fumbling through his darkness as he grabbed his phone. He looked at the familiar number and answered the call.

“Shep,” Nate murmured. “It’s four in the morning.”

"Sorry, Nate," Shep said apologetically. "You know I wouldn't wake you unless it was necessary."

“I know. What is it?” Nate asked, carefully lifting the blankets and sliding his limbs free of the sheets. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed. He rose to his feet and shuffled through the darkness, finding his discarded jeans and pulling them on while Shep explained the situation.

“Okay,” Nate replied, lethargy dragging at his voice as he ran his hand through his hair. “If you grab the equipment from the shack, I’ll be there in two minutes.”

He hung up and pocketed his phone.

Among the darkness of the room, he heard a quiet moan as Elena stirred.

“Nate?” she called quietly. “What’s going on?”

“A drive-by police unit saw a car go into the bay. Shep and I are the only ones who haven't dived in the past twenty-four hours, so we've been called in for retrieval," Nate explained. He stepped back over to the bed and leant across the mattress to press a tender kiss to her forehead. "I'll be back in a couple of hours."

"I might as well get up," Elena muttered, pushing back the blankets and sitting up. 

"You don't have to."

"I can't sleep without you anyway," Elena said, reaching for the pair of jeans she had discarded across the bedroom floor. She grabbed her jacket and shrugged it on over the old shirt she was wearing and grabbed her camera bag and her satchel as she added, "Besides, there might be a story behind this."

Nate dragged his hand down his face and let out a heavy sigh.

"Okay," Nate heeded. "Let's go."

 

 

Nate pulled his old steely blue jeep up beside the large white van. Shep was already suited up and was checking the equipment. Nate muttered a brief hello before he began to strip off his jacket and shirt.

"Hey, Elena," Shep called as he tossed Nate one of the large black wet suits. "How was your trip?"

Nate climbed into the back of the van, shutting the doors and quickly getting changed. When he emerged, Shep and Elena were deep in conversation about the relief efforts in Cambodia and how close they were to rebuilding a town that had been destroyed; schools and homes patched up and restored, a hospital set up and supplied to treat those who were injured in the recent natural disaster and to continue treating people, water wells and purification systems built, and the faces of the affected lit with smiles as they waved her farewell.

Shep passed Nate his flippers and the oxygen tank. They carried the equipment over to the edge of the bay.

"Dive down, check the surrounding area to make sure it's safe for extraction, break the windows and loop the straps through and the crane will do the rest," Shep instructed as the two pulled on their flippers and strapped on their tanks. 

They pulled the goggles down over their faces and tuned in the lights, fitted the mouthpieces into place and tested them before giving a quick nod.

The two toppled backwards, hitting the water with a pound splash and disappearing beneath the foaming bubbles.

The dove down into the darkness, the light of their goggles lighting the surrounding water.

Among the quiet immersion, Nate spied the old blue sedan. 

He swam down to it, levelling himself out as he peered in through the window.

His heart lurched into his throat at what he saw: a child strapped into a seat, small bubbles tickling her cheeks. Her eyes were shut and her mouth was open, her body sagging slightly forward but driving weightlessly.

Nate didn't hesitate. He reached into his belt and pulled out the small device they used to shatter windows, pressed the tip against the glass and pressed down. The glass let out a thundering crack as fissures spread across the glass. Nate pushed the window in with one hand while he pocketed the breaker with the other and drew the fishing knife strapped to his calf. The tugged at the straps of the child's seat and sawed through them with the jagged edge.

He sheathed the knife and pulled the girl free.

He swam for the surface, gifting the urgency to swim as fast as he could, and rising with his bubbles as he was taught.

It felt like forever but he finally brother through the surface. He spat out his mouthpiece and shouted, "A little help here!"

The policemen sprinted to the edge of the dock, helping Nate lift the child onto solid ground.

He hurled himself out of the weather and quickly shed his oxygen tank, yanking his goggles off his face as he scrambled to the girl's side and tilted her head to the side. He began CPR, pushing down on the child’s chest. His eyes were wide as he frantically counted the beats, bringing his lips to the child’s and breathing air into her lungs.

“Come on, come on,” Nate pleaded, his voice a weak whisper as he stared down at the child’s unmoving body.

Nothing.

"Come on," Nate said desperately.

The little girl's body shuddered, water splitting from her mouth as she tried to cough.

"That's it," Nate said encouragingly, rolling the girl into her side and gently patting her back.

She coughed and spluttered before finally heaving in a deep breath. She was still for a moment as her eyes opened, then she let out a heartbreaking wail.

Nate lifted her into his arms, cradling her against his chest and rocking her gently as he breathed a sigh of relief; she was alive.

"Shhh, it's okay," Nate whispered, gently patting down the tangled mess of her hair, the wet strands clinging to hare face. "You're okay."

Elena rushed over to his side, his towel in her hand. 

He whispered a quick thank you and wrapped the large towel around the little girl, swaddling her.

"It's okay, it's okay," he assured her.

She hiccupped and nuzzled her face into his neck as the policemen ran to his side and wrapped towels around the two of them.

He held her close, quietly whispering to her. He heard Elena talking to one of the policemen, a young man who reassured her that they had called an ambulance and the paramedics would arrive in a few minutes. Behind him, he took note of the crane lifting the car out of the water and Shep surfacing.

After a little while, Elena returned to his side and Nate loosened his grip on the girl.

"Hey, sweetheart," Nate whispered. "This is my wife, Elena. Is it okay if she holds you for a little while while I go and talk to the police?"

The little girl hiccupped and nodded.

Nate carefully handed her over to Elena. He watched as Elena wrapper her arms around the child and couldn’t help but smile. He rose to his feet and joined the small crowd of police officers and Shep.

"This was deliberate," he said bluntly.

"What makes you say that?" one of the officers asked.

"There aren't any skid marks that would suggest acceleration or braking and the gates to the docks are locked after midnight and they're undamaged--which means whoever did this has a key. The car was too close to the dock to have driven into the water; it was pushed.”

“The child was strapped into her seat and the driver's door was left open. The gearstick was in neutral and the handbrake was off,” Shep chimed in. “The car was definitely pushed.”

“Your case of a car being dumped in the bay just accelerated to an attempted murder,” Nate said solemnly.

“And what about the kid?” another officer asked. “Any child services representative won’t be awake for another few hours.”

“Elena and I will take her to the hospital,” Nate said. “We’ll look after her until you can get onto child services.”

Nate gave the officer his details and returned to Elena’s side.

He paused watching the soft smile on her face as she gently rocked the child in her arms. She hummed a soft tune, something that resembled a lullaby, and it lulled the child into a peaceful state; no tears, no hiccups, just looking up at Elena and sharing her loving gaze.

Elena looked up.

“How long have you been standing there?” she asked.

“Long enough,” Nate replied, his voice soft as a gentle smile lifted the corners of his mouth. He crouched down by her side, gently brushing back the mess of curls atop the girl’s head. He explained what was happening.

Elena chuckled.

“What?” Nate asked. “What did I say?”

“Nothing,” Elena whispered, stifling her laughter. “I’ve just never had the chance to ask you… you know.”

“What?”

“I’ve never had the chance to ask you if you wanted a kid someday,” Elena said softly.

Nate couldn’t help but smile as he looked at her lovingly and said, “Yeah, I do. One day.”

Elena looked at him sceptically, her expression softening and a smile playing across her lips when she realised he was serious.

The little girl squirmed in her arms, turning to bury her face in the curve of Elena’s shoulder.

“One day,” she repeated.

**Author's Note:**

> celestialvoid-fanfiction.tumblr.com


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